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Catering Equipment Finance

Spread the cost of catering equipment from £2,000 to £150,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a catering equipment?

Yes, catering equipments are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £2,000 to £150,000, and most deals are written over 12–60 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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2-minute application
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Typical Cost

£2k – £150k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £25k

Rates From

5.8% APR

What would a catering equipment cost per month?

£25,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical catering equipment price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 6.2% APR
Term
12–60 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Caterers wanting to own equipment outright

Finance Lease

Rate
From 5.8% APR
Term
12–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 6.5% APR
Term
24–48 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Upgrade equipment regularly. Off balance sheet.

Representative example

On a purchase price of £25,000: a 10% deposit of £2,500, then 48 monthly payments of £527 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £27,796, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
Rational iCombi Pro 10-1/1 £12,000 – £18,000 Combi Oven
Williams Jade HJ2-SA £2,500 – £4,000 Double Door Fridge
Falcon Dominator Plus G3101 £3,500 – £6,000 Commercial Range
Winterhalter PT-L £8,000 – £14,000 Pass-Through Dishwasher

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Tax benefits

Catering equipment qualifies for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full cost from taxable profits in year one, up to £1,000,000. HP allows capital allowances. Lease payments are fully deductible.

Market context

Catering equipment is bought by restaurants, pubs, hotels, contract caterers and food businesses fitting out or refreshing a kitchen, often against a fixed opening date that leaves little room to save up first. Finance is preferred because a kitchen fit-out bundles many items, ovens, fridges, prep surfaces and extraction, into one project cost, keeping cash free for stock and staff. Replacement is usually driven by breakdown risk and hygiene inspection findings rather than a fixed age, since a kitchen cannot afford downtime on core equipment. A solid trade in used catering equipment through specialist dealers gives lenders a fallback on asset value if a business fails.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I finance used catering equipment?
Yes, most lenders finance used catering equipment up to around 5 years old in good condition, and reconditioned items sourced through authorised dealers generally get the best rates, since they come with a documented inspection and often a warranty from the reconditioner. An independent condition check is usually required for equipment bought privately or through a general secondhand dealer rather than a specialist. Given how hard commercial kitchen equipment is worked, service and maintenance history matters more to a lender's decision here than for equipment used less intensively.
What deposit do I need for catering equipment finance?
For hire purchase, most lenders ask for a 10-20% deposit, while finance leases and operating leases can often be arranged with no deposit at all. This matters for a new restaurant or catering business in particular, where the equipment budget is only one part of an opening cost that also has to stretch to fit-out, stock and staff before any revenue arrives. A larger deposit reduces the monthly payment, which is worth weighing against simply keeping more cash available through the first few months of trading.
How quickly can I get catering equipment finance?
Most applications are approved within 24-48 hours, and same-day approval is common for deals under £25,000, which covers most single-item and small kitchen purchases. A full kitchen fit-out spanning cooking, refrigeration, extraction and prep equipment as one project takes longer to review since the lender needs to assess the complete specification rather than one machine. Providing an itemised supplier quote covering every piece of equipment in the kitchen, rather than a single bundled figure, is the most reliable way to keep a larger application moving quickly.
Can I finance a full kitchen fit-out?
Yes, most lenders let you bundle all kitchen equipment, from ovens and fridges to extraction and prep surfaces, into a single finance agreement rather than financing each item separately. This is the most common approach for a new restaurant opening, since the kitchen is specified as one project by the fit-out contractor or supplier. Putting the whole fit-out on one agreement generally means a single monthly payment and one renewal date, which is simpler to manage than several facilities running to different schedules across the kitchen.
What happens at the end of a catering equipment finance agreement?
Hire purchase transfers full ownership of the equipment once the agreement is paid off, which suits a caterer wanting to own the kitchen outright and keep using it for years. A finance lease usually offers a balloon payment to take ownership, continued rental, or handover to the funder, while an operating lease is return-only, which suits a business wanting to refresh equipment regularly rather than run it to the end of its working life. Breakdown risk and hygiene standards, more than age, tend to drive when catering equipment is actually replaced.
Can I include delivery and installation in catering equipment finance?
Yes, provided they appear on the supplier's invoice alongside the equipment itself, most lenders fund delivery, installation and any gas, electrical or extraction connection work as part of the same agreement rather than requiring it to be paid separately. This is common for a kitchen fit-out, where getting equipment plumbed in, wired and certified is as much a part of the project cost as the appliances themselves. Keeping installation on the same invoice as the equipment, rather than a separate contractor bill, makes it straightforward to include in the finance amount.

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